Laura Ettinger Named Professor Emerita at Clarkson University
Clarkson University Research Professor Laura Ettinger has been named professor emerita for 28 years of exceptional contributions to the University’s Arts, Culture and Technology Department. Formal recognition took place at a special ceremony on May 8.
Promoted to full professor in 2023, Ettinger is an internationally recognized scholar of the history of women and gender in science, medicine and engineering in the contemporary United States, as well as oral history.
Committed to reaching broad audiences, Ettinger combines traditional scholarship with public-facing work, including producing three educational videos and the award-winning documentary “Trailblazers: The Untold Stories of Six Women Engineers,” which received an Award of Merit in The Impact DOCS Competition and was an official selection at a past Scientific Research Honor Society (Sigma XI) STEM Art and Film Festival.
Additionally, Ettinger’s book, “Nurse-Midwifery: The Birth of a New American Profession,” was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. Her current writing continues her work on pioneering women engineers from the Baby Boomer generation, highlighting their often overlooked contributions to the field. She also conducts oral histories for multiple organizations, including the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation.
Her research has expanded the understanding of gender and professional development in technical fields, a focus that also informs her leadership as co-principal investigator for Clarkson’s ADVANCE/STEM LEAF grant, where as part of this initiative she led research titled, “The Little Things Aren’t Little: In-depth Interviews with Current & Former STEM Women Faculty at Clarkson University,” in which she used social scientific methodology to explore and seek understanding of the experiences and perspectives of Clarkson women in STEM faculty.
In the classroom, Ettinger integrated learning with real-world experience through community-engaged partnerships that immerse students in public history work. Her students have participated in various community-based academic projects, including documenting local COVID-19 experiences, and conducting oral history interviews with senior residents for a local children’s museum exhibit on North Country childhood.
Ettinger has also provided extensive leadership and service to Clarkson and the broader academic community, serving on the faculty senate, including as its vice chair, and contributing to numerous committees, departmental initiatives, and professional organizations.
Her honors include National Science Foundation grants as both principal and co-principal investigator, the Society for the History of Technology’s Martha Trescott Prize, and a Fulbright Scholarship. She has also received multiple Clarkson University awards for teaching and faculty mentoring, including the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinction in Faculty Mentoring for Research and Scholarship.
Ettinger earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree from the University of Rochester and a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College.
